It was already dark outside when returned, which was why he stopped by a nearby upscale shop to purchase some ingredients to cook dinner, as when Annie texted him, he asked her not to eat.
He could bring her out, but trying to spend more money on her after the short holiday would backfire. She was already sensitive about it. And, he wasn’t in a mood to eat cheap pizza. Instead, he decided to treat her to a home-cooked meal.
He even made sure that there were no expensive ingredient in his bag.
Annie was a challenge. Not to his bed, which at this point was hardly a challenge, but to convince her to be his assistant. With her skills, she would be the super assistant he needed, since he was getting involved with more and more businesses.
Money was good, but money that didn’t take his time with emails and meetings would be even better.
And, it would give her a chance to consider her future without being stressed about her future.
When he opened the door, Annie was perched on the sofa, with multiple books open in front of her, already studying. She was cute wearing her large t-shirt and shorts. It felt domestic.
Though he noted that she was trying to minimize her sprawl, which was not as endearing.
“You know you don’t have to minimize your footprint, right?” he asked.
She blushed. “I didn’t want to presume.”
He closed in the distance, kissed her with a deliberate casualness that impacted her even more than a passionate one. “Feel free to spread more while you study. Dinner would be ready in thirty minutes.”
“You’ll cook? I thought we would just order pizza or something.” she said.
“Nope. Not today. I have the menu already planned,” he said. She made a move to stand up. “First day, you’re a guest. We can discuss a cooking rotation tomorrow,” he said.
“Fine,” she said, and he smirked. He could see just how much she was longing to take charge, but he didn’t let her. The last thing he would do to teach her she could bulldoze over him like she usually did to her friend group. It was not a good habit. “Good day?”
“Quite well,” he said. “I visited a musician friend, and we jammed on the piano.”
“Anything famous?” she asked.
“Do you know the Maple Loops jingle?” he asked. “He composed that.”
“Really?” she asked, surprised.
As he answered her questions, he disappeared into the kitchen, and started the prep work, which went rapidly. He could have prepared some extremely complicated dishes, but the theme today was simplicity. Tomato bisque, pan-seared salmon with fresh basil and oregano, herb-roasted potatoes on the side, and two soufles in the oven, perfectly timed to be ready once they finished with the dinner.
Well, relative simplicity. And, the ingredients were about as expensive as pizza for two.
“Yep. Fun guy, though with the attention span of a bored golden terrier.” He paused. “Think of Troy, but instead of Abed to distract him, he has drinks and emotionless sex.”
“So, Jeff before Greendale?”
“Nope. Charlie’s insecurities don’t come with that particular anxiety that’s forcing him to prove something to everyone he meets. He’s more like Troy, enjoying every day as it comes while stuffing insecurities away and acting like they don’t exist, only alcohol replacing Abed’s complicated roleplaying games.”
“Almost like Pierce?”
“That, I can’t say, because I saw the guy very little other than his aggressive insults. But, I would say Jeff is more likely to become Pierce than Troy, so…”
“I can certainly see it,” she admitted.
They chatted while he cooked, the discussion staying light. He could see that she had other questions to ask, but she was keeping them for the dinner table.
Half an hour passed quickly. “Smells good,” she said, and once she tasted his soup, her eyes widened, the questions forgotten. “This is amazing,” she said as she attacked it. “This can’t just be tomato bisque.”
“Yep. Fresh herbs and careful timing make all the difference. Most people throw all herbs at once, which is a mistake. Different herbs have their ideal timings. Too early, and they burn, too late, and the aroma doesn’t bloom properly.”
“Really, like what?” she asked.
He gave her a breakdown of some of the finer points, amused at how invested she was in learning. Her determination to learn everything was amusing, even if it occasionally triggered weird adventures.
For now, he was happy to answer her questions and listen to her compliments about his cooking.
She remembered her serious question after they finished salmon and patatoes, and the soufflé still requiring a few minutes in the oven. “I have a question,” she muttered, her voice tense.
“Sure, pretty eyes,” he teased her, and she blushed.
"When can I start at the Cheesecake Factory?"
“Are you sure?” he asked.
“Yes. I will work,” she delivered. “I don’t care how much money you have. I won’t stay with you without contributing my fair share. That’s out of the question,” she said. “I already made calculations. Depending on the tips, working between forty-five and sixty hours should allow me to pitch in while also contributing to a small holiday fund. The next trip, I will pay. It won’t be as fancy, but that’s the best I can do.“
He listened to her with an amused smile on his face. “Are you done?” he asked.
“I’m serious,” she said, pointing at her face, her gaze sharp. “This is my serious face.”
She was serious and formidable, though it made her look both cute and sexy at the same time. He was tempted to push her down and show her just how much her face was working on him, but he didn’t.
Because, he could see that she wasn’t bluffing. If he tried to convince her that she should just enjoy a holiday on his dime, she probably would take the first bus back to Denver.
Luckily, that was not his intention.
The first rule of finding competent women sexy was to let them be competent.
“First, I have a counteroffer,” he started. “If you refuse that, I’ll arrange the Cheesecake Factory. That, I promise. I just want you to listen with open mind.”
“Fine,” she said.
“Working for me is still an option. I need an assistant,” he said.
"You don't need an assistant," she said. “I mean, I appreciate the offer, but I won’t accept busywork. I might go around recycling aluminum cans, but I have my pride,” she said, the last part delivered as a challenge.
He chuckled. “I believe you, pretty eyes. It’s one of the things that makes you attractive. But where did you get the idea that I don’t need much work?”
“Well, you didn’t need to do much during our little trip. A few calls, maybe a few emails. That’s it.”
He chucked. “The answer is simple: I sleep less, mostly because four hours of sleep is enough to keep me going.” That made her pause. “Do you want proof?” he said, and opened his laptop, turning on his work email. “I had twenty emails in the last two hours.”
She went through them. The first email from Max, relating to an updated spec sheet which she and Monica had been juggling between them, and whenever they ended up fighting, asking him to intervene.
Then, there was another from Monica, adding two more potential spots to establish the bakery, with various details from the available space to customer footprint, with several responses from Caroline, with relevant business plans about their impact.
In addition, there were multiple email chains he was a part of, mostly Haley and suppliers, though some were about Rachel and suppliers. He trusted them to handle, but for one of these businesses, he was the minority owner, the other, he owned it completely, meaning it was better to categorize and summarize them for posterity.
These weren’t the only email chains.
Even with his skills, keeping track of everything took serious effort, which he was happy to dump into Annie’s lap, especially knowing just how seriously she would handle them.
She read them silently, her eyes widening with every email. “I stand corrected. You’re busier than I realized,” she said.
He shrugged. “Three startups generate a lot of paperwork,” he said.
Annie nodded, then checked another attachment, which was an automatic report showing daily sales. “But you need to check your website. It’s report has problems. There’s an error in the revenue indicator.”
He smirked. “No, it doesn’t,” he said.
Her eyes widened. “Are you telling me that’s the money you’re making every day?”
“Well, technically it’s the revenue, but the margins are quite healthy,” he admitted.
“Is it okay for me to see them?”
“Of course. You’ll be my assistant, so you’ll have access to them,” he said confidently.
She paused. “I haven’t yet accepted.”
“I know, but you will,” he said. “Look, Annie. I’m not insisting as a charity. I have seen the way you approach everything, and I know you’ll do the job perfectly. More importantly, I know you’re dedicated to your studies, which means, at least for the next two years, you’ll be available to work for me.”
“I … I’m not that good,” she said.
“How about a challenge?” he said. She nodded, her eyes sharpening. “You take the job, but also interview assistants for me. If you can find someone who can do the job better than you while paying under a hundred thousand dollars a year, I’ll fire you and hire them. Deal?”
“Deal,” she said. “That’s easy.”
He chuckled. She probably didn’t realize just how good she was. Intelligent enough to gain acceptance from top-tier schools, with a work ethic to match… that was the kind of talent that Fortune 500 companies tried to lock through internships.
“Fine. Until then, let’s go over your responsibilities. As my assistant, you will have access to my work email, and you have to go over it. I don’t need you to obsess over responding to everything immediately, as that’s how burnouts happen. Four hours of response window is the baseline standard, and that’s when they arrive during work hours.”
“But—“ she started.
“Nope. Anything more urgent, and they will call,” he said.
She paused, then opened the financial report Caroline prepared, then gulped. “I don’t think I can understand this. It looks complicated.”
“I’ll teach you if you want, but understanding the financial reports is not the job of an assistant. In a larger company, this kind of things will be the job of marketing analysts, overseen by a director with over ten years of experience.”
She nodded, then caught his gaze. “I mean, I won’t have to learn, because I will find someone in my place. A week, two weeks at most.”
He chuckled. “We’ll see,” he said.
She looked at him suspiciously. “You aren’t going to sabotage me, right?”
“Of course not. I don’t need to,” he said. If she found a better candidate, he would be happy to change assistants. “Now, about the expectations—“ he started, but he was interrupted by the timer. “Dessert break,” he said.
“I don’t have space for more,” she said, but her complaint died when he returned with fresh souffle that smelled amazing. “But, since you have gone to the trouble, I might get a bite…”
In the end, she not only finished hers, but stole a few bites from his. “I’m going to regret that,” she muttered. “All those calories—“
That, he interrupted again, but this time, the fun way. He pulled her onto his lap, and kissed her. “I can think a few fun ways to burn those calories…” Annie blushed. “For example, helping you prepare for the physical tests if you’re serious about trying to join FBI,” he added.
That was enough to bring back her serious expression, even when she was on his lap, gently moving back and forth. “Do you really believe that I can do it?”
“I know you can do it,” he said. After all, she did in her own show, and she didn’t have any substantial help to do that. “I have a feeling that you can do anything you want to. You just need to do make a decision.”
She bit her lip. “Should I try to transfer to a real college? I mean, Greendale is fun, but—“
“I wouldn’t recommend, not unless you want to get away,” he said, and it wasn’t just that she represented his access to Greendale madness. “Annie, I can see just how much you love that place, and your whole support network is there. You won’t be happier with a sudden transfer. Switch your degree to something you don’t hate, and enjoy Greendale at least one more year before making a move.”
Annie paused, then suddenly hugged him, her shoulders suspiciously jerky.
[Achievement complete. Make Annie fall even deeper in love with you by successfully straddling the line of respecting her choices and protecting her without patronizing her in the process
Challenge: Daring]
[+25 Endurance
1 Random Platinum Skill
1 Random Platinum Reward]
He smiled as he realized Annie’s achievements were surprisingly wordy. Maybe it was her personality affecting it somewhat.
As for choice, with the next perk getting closer, he decided to go with stat. More Endurance was never a bad choice.
“One recommendation,” he started once she calmed down. “In a job interview, don’t accept a job without talking about salary,” he said.
She laughed, which was a suspiciously wet sound. “I’m alright with the minimum wage,” she said. “That’s what I would get from any other office job.”
He chuckled even as he stood up, lifting her tiny body with ease, walking toward the bedroom. “That’s the salary you get for doing coffee runs and photocopying papers destined to go to the shredder without being read,” he said. “You will do real work, and you’ll have real responsibilities. It means you’ll get real money.”
“What do you have in mind?” she asked.
“Thirty-five dollars hourly, with a fifty percent overtime rate whenever you work more than eight hours a day,” he offered. It was certainly high, but with her capabilities, it wasn’t actually unfair.
He would have paid her that much even if he was running an ordinary business and they weren’t together.
A smart assistant that could show initiative reliably was too valuable. There was a reason Alfred has been treated as part of Batman’s superpowers.
“That’s too much—“ she started, but her breath escaped her chest when he threw her onto the bed, interrupting her.
“Argue, and I’ll push to fifty dollars hourly,” he ‘threatened’ her even as he pulled her t-shirt, once again revealing her shockingly amazing breasts.
“That’s not how bargaining works,” she said.
“We can always turn that into a competition,” he whispered, slipping his hand into her tiny shorts. “Ready to bet?”
Annie blushed. “No. I learned my lesson the last time.”
“Good. Then we are in agreement,” he said as he caught her lips. She responded for a while, then pulled back. “Give me a second. Keep your eyes closed.”
“Really?”
“Yes,” she said, her expression once again radiating determination and sexiness in equal measures.
He nodded and let her slip under him, and pulled a pillow under his head to listen to her. “You can open your eyes,” she said a few minutes later, and he did so; and immediately, he was very glad that he had followed her request.
The biggest advantage of working as a fashion photographer, that his home with filled with a lot of female clothing without being creepy, and Annie had used them to cobble together an amazing secretary outfit complete with fake glasses.
The kind that was not appropriate for any real office.
She was wearing a tiny skirt that ended just below her ass rather than knee-length, showing off her black garter belt and stockings. Her buttoned-up blazer was sexy, especially since that was all she was wearing on top. The thick-framed glasses and the clipboard in hand completed the outfit.
“S-sir. Please don’t fire me for my mistake. I … I can …” she started, her cute, helpless expression contrasting with the desire burning in her eyes.
He took the sight in as she climbed onto the bed, not surprised by the ease she was showing doing roleplay, not with the way they met.
“Miss Edison, I’m afraid you have to work hard to make me forget a mistake of this magnitude,” he said.
“I won’t disappoint you again, sir,” she whispered huskily as she crawled on bed, on all fours, and pulled his pants down.
He grabbed her hair and pushed her down, invading her throat. After all, since she was trying to ‘earn his forgiveness’ she had to work hard. “Keep your pretty eyes open, and glasses stay on,” he ordered.
Annie just moaned, showing how much she had changed since they met in that paintball game. Even during their hotel stay, she didn’t have that particular passion.
He wondered whether it was her latest realization that he took her academic potential seriously and wasn’t merely humoring her because he liked her? It was possible, though he suspected that there was a chance she was feeling freer now that they were back in Los Angeles, away from the bubble.
Or maybe she was just feeling insecure about meeting his other ‘friends’.
H suspected it was a combination of it, and the exact ratio wasn’t too interesting.
Not when compared to Annie’s beautiful eyes, maintaining contact despite her constant gagging, her askew glasses somehow achieving the impossible and making her look even sexier.
He pulled out at the last second, covering her face with his seed while she gasped, trying to recover her voice. “D-did I do good, sir?” she whispered, her acting exaggerated, but that made her even sexier.
“No, Miss Edison, it was merely a start,” he said as he grabbed her hips, pushed her onto all fours, ripped the skirt with ease and caressed her entrance while he waited for his erection to return to life.
Which, luckily, merely took a minute even with all the fun he had, and he slipped inside. “Already?” she whispered.
“Oh, yes,” he whispered, his grip once again tight as he invaded her hard. The little submissive roleplay provided him with a nice context to truly cut loose, something he hadn’t done during their little holiday … at least not fully.
But, since they were in Los Angeles, showing her that she couldn’t keep up with him physically was a good idea to explain why he had multiple friends-with-benefits even though, for all intents and purposes, they were relationships…
Rather intense ones at that.
“Forest green,” she finally called an hour, and five orgasms, later, looking utterly spent. It was their safe word.
“Miss Edison, exhausted already,” he whispered as he lay next to her, pulling her naked body to his chest. She hugged back immediately.
“W-what was that? You were like, possessed.”
He smirked as he kissed her neck. “Oh, Annie. At the hotel, I held back because you were still learning.”
Her eyes widened. “Are you saying this is your normal… But it’s so intense.”
“I’m an intense person,” he responded as he gently kissed her hair, knowing that she would enjoy the contrast. To be fair, so did he. He was already very fond of Annie…
“Is this why you have…”
“Multiple friends with whom I occasionally exercise together. This is a part of it,” he said. “It also helps everyone live their life without making sacrifices about our lives and our future ambitions,” he said, and told her the story of Mia, how they met, had fun together, only for her to move to New York.
He was glad for the speech skill he had gotten from her earlier. It helped him to deliver his slightly warped logic as the most obvious thing in the world.
It helped that he wasn’t lying. Not to mention, Annie’s acceptance wasn’t that shocking either; especially since she in the show was happy to have a relationship with the imaginary Brent Underjaw for months without even seeing him because of the emotional connection.
He had no intention of depriving her of emotional connection.
She lay against his chest, taking deep breaths. Only due to his Perception, he knew that she wasn’t actually asleep. “C-can I meet with…” she started, then paused. “Your friends…”
He paused, considering the options. He decided Haley would make the best one to introduce her. For one, Haley had the social awareness to catch on Annie’s issues, and they shared similar setbacks in their college adventure, which could help them relax. Then, as his new assistant, Annie would be coordinating with Haley a lot, so there was strategic benefit to it as well.
And, maybe, just maybe, he was angling for a double blowjob with two women with the prettiest and most expressive eyes he had ever seen … but that was just a fun additional benefit.
“Of course. I’ll check with Haley. She should be back from her flight, and we can pick her up from the airport and go for breakfast, maybe a quick swim afterward?”
“I would like that,” Annie whispered, her naked, exhausted body curling against him. He closed his eyes, enjoying her warmth…